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March 26, 2024
Court documents obtained by SaharaReporters on Tuesday revealed how the Nigeria Police Force, acting on the ‘orders’ of Evangelist Ebuka Obi’s Zion Prayer Ministry Movement Outreach, secured an order from the Chief Magistrate Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja to remand blogger and social media influencer, Chukwuma Ofoegbu, popularly known as Ijele in prison for two weeks to move his case to a High Court in Abuja.
SaharaReporters had reported how the police detained Ijele over his allegations against Evangelist Ebuka Obi.
In his viral post, Ijele called the pastor a liar and tagged his miracles as deceits, urging the police to arrest him for turning his religious institution into a business enterprise.
Subsequently, police in Abuja invited Ijele to their station for an alleged case of criminal intimidation, threat to life, cyberstalking, and cyberbullying against the pastor.
SaharaReporters learned that the police refused to release Ijele after he honoured their invitation and was subsequently taken to Keffi Correctional Centre in Nasarawa State.
The court documents showed that the Magistrate Court granted the police application to remand Ijele in a motion ex parte marked suit no: ME/65/2024 and filed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
The IGP in the application prayed the court for “An Order remanding the Defendant/Respondent for 14 days in the Correctional Center Keffi to enable conclusion of investigation and arraignment at the High Court.
“And for such further or other order(s) as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstance.”
The police said that it had filed charges against Ijele at the Federal High Court in Abuja and was awaiting for the case to be assigned to a particular court and arraignment, saying that releasing Ijele would jeopardise the prosecution.
The police therefore asked the Magistrate Court to remand him in prison custody for two weeks.
Ajah Elizabeth Ugochukwu, a female staff member of the Nigeria Police Force attached to the AIG Zone 7, Force Headquarters, Abuja, in an affidavit she deposed to said, “That by virtue of my position of which I am conversant with the facts of this case.
“That the facts deposed to in this affidavit are within my personal knowledge. That this case has to do with Criminal Conspiracy, Kidnapping, Abduction, Cyber Bulling, Criminal Intimidation Conduct likely to cause Breach of Public Peace and all of which are triable in the High Court.
“That investigation into the offence is on-going as the Respondent/Defendant were apprehended in 2024. That the nominal complainants of the case are Zion Prayer Ministry Movement Outreach.
“That we have filed charge at the Federal High Court Abuja awaiting for the charge to be assigned to a particular court and arraignment, releasing the suspect will jeopardize prosecution.
“That we do not want to keep the suspect in our custody without the court's consent. That we required 14 days to conclude investigation and charge the suspect to court for trial.
“That I deposed to this affidavit in good faith believing its content to be true and in accordance with the Oath Act.”
In a written address in support of the application, the police said the application ex-parte was filed “pursuant to sections 293, 294 and 296 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 and under the inherent jurisdiction of this Honourable Court.”
Granting the police application, the court issued “An order remanding the Defendant/Respondent for 14 days in the Correctional Center Keffi to enable conclusion of investigation and arraignment at the High Court is hereby granted as prayed.”